Dry Weather – a Hazard to Your Foundation

October 14, 2011

Dry weather can be a hazard to your home’s foundation. At Gutter Cover Kansas City®, we don’t want to just sell a product.  Our desire is to educate and inform whether it is about the importance of protecting or your gutters, or another important issue with your home.  When gutters fill up they overflow and this can result in  foundation problems as well as allowing water into basements.  But what happens to foundations in dry weather, when there is no rain?  The following story should be of interest to us all.

Our barn (I call it that – it’s built like one) is a 16 x 24 ft structure which sits on a concrete slab, has moved north.  As a result, the gate at the south end of the barn will not latch.  The door to the doghouse for the walkout basement will not open.  Our problems are due to the dry ground (lack of rain) causing foundations to shift.

Due to the torturous, intense heat of the summer, we have been lulled to sleep by the most beautiful fall I can remember.  Mild days and comfortably cool nights.  But there’s been no significant rainfall in weeks, and that’s the hazard, dry weather can cause foundations to move.  So here I am hosing down my foundation each day hoping it’s not too late.  I guess a soaker hose would be the best and easiest way to deal with this situation.  I think it would be advisable to get an expert’s insight on this matter.

At KC Waterproofing, Don Derry tells us that foundations require maintenance due to the fact that “many soils in the Oklahoma-Kansas-Missouri-Nebraska-Iowa area contain active clay minerals that expand and contract with changing moisture content.  In our area extreme changes in precipitation, evaporation and transpiration rates occur every year, giving homeowners reasons to be concerned.  Maintaining constant moisture content in the soil under and around a home’s foundation can prevent a lot of problems.  He recommends watering the foundation during the summer months with soaker hoses.  The hoses should be placed about two feet out from the foundation wall so the water will soak into the soil and not flow down the wall face.  It may even be necessary to water during the fall or winter if the weather is particularly dry.”

For more information regarding your foundation needs please go to www.kcbuildingsolutions.com.   And remember, our gutter guard will also protect your foundation and prevent your gutter from clogging, giving you more peace of mind in maintaining your home.